That Beautiful Season... Summer

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....

Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape

Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life. ~ Jean Giraudoux

Love comforteth like sunshine after rain. ~ William Shakespeare






Anyone can shoot a moose that's just standing there. If you really wanna brag, hang a pair of chipmunk ears on your wall. ~ Jass Richards






Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity. ~ John Ruskin






Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them? ~ Rose Kennedy






A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes, The burnished sunbeams brightening, From flower to flower he flies. ~ John Banister Tabb






I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. ~ Emma Goldman





The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. ~ John Muir






Oh, if you’re a bird, be an early bird
And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.
If you’re a bird, be an early bird—
But if you’re a worm, sleep late. ~ Shel Silverstein






Swinging clusters of red, the hedges are full of them, red-currant red, a graceful ornament or a merry smile. ~ Denise Levertov






Sing loud for the sunshine. Pray hard for the rain. ~ Led Zeppelin






Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature. ~ Gerard de Nerval

I know my visits are few and far between, these days. I've not been home much but I did have the foresight to schedule blogs posts for the past several days. I hope to catch up with all of you very soon, and create a few more posts - so I can spend some more time away from home/at Frank's.

Puddle Stompers & Posts of the Week

Summer rain, kidlets and a crazy little dog. Enjoy!




The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. ~ E. E. Cummings





Imagine a puddle waking up and saying: 'This is an interesting hole I find myself in. Fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it! ~ Douglas Adam





"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain." ~ Unknown





Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about learning to dance in the rain. ~ Vivian Greene





Don't threaten me with love, baby. Let's just go walking in the rain. ~ Billie Holiday



And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if if your blog post is named as a POTW.



 

FUNNY

Censored
by Gail
at Louisiana Belle

Dog VS Owner on 34 Street
by King
at King of the New York Hacks

 
FEEL GOOD VIDEO  

Go Ahead: Feel Good
by Sandy
at Writing in Faith

SO SWEET

Baby Birdie
by June
at Aging Gratefully

PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Oh, Deer!

by Barbara
at Confessions of a Photography Addict

Buzzard
by Bob
at Birds and Nature in the Forest of Dean

Day 202: Green Anole
by Laura
at Laura Delegal - 2012 Project 365 + 1

GOOD TO KNOW

How to Photograph Lightning
by Scott
at Just Used Pixels

A GOOD READ

 

Remembering Sally Ride
by Crabby
at Cranky Fitness

A Towering Epiphany
 by Stephen
at The Chubby Chatterbox

READERS' CHOICE

Recommended by:Dianne
A Little Night Magic
by Jay
at Bailey's Buddy

Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.

Thank you.

Loose Ends

Below are a few photos which steer away from my usual flowers, birds, outdoorsy themes. I hope you enjoy them.




One day in June, Frank and I went to do a little fishing at a nearby town. This is their little General store which was established in 1857. It's been through some changes through the years, I'm sure. How long do you figure it will be until that phone booth is obsolete?





We took the slow route home - following behind a school bus.





Snapped on the move, from the front passenger seat, through the left rear window, across the highway. Isn't that a beautiful heap of mess behind the horse?





My neighbour coaches kidlet soccer. On this day in May, she was pumping up balls in preparation for an upcoming practice.





Another neighbour of mine - Princess Galoshes (aka Lily).





I liked the pattern that the sun and Venetian blinds made on our piano. I can't play but I inherited it from my mother who did. It's been on this earth a fair bit longer than I have. I'm happy that my son, Alex is so musically inclined. It's a lovely instrument and I know that he will continue to appreciate it after I'm long gone.





This is Girl's Night Out - grapefruit, pineapple and lemonade infused with white wine. It's my new summer beverage. Can I pour one for you?





Perhaps a beer is more to your taste?





Can I offer you something to eat? Among other goodies, we have fresh, buttery Brussels sprouts flavoured with garlic, wine, freshly ground pepper and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.





You might enjoy this selection of cheese.





If you don't mind, I'm sure Skittles wouldn't refuse a nibble of that cheddar.





And whatever he turns his nose up at, I'm sure Benny will be happy to gobble. Just don't let him jump up on you - he's been playing with the hose, again.


That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed the loose ends photos. I should have something new for you very soon.

Oh and one more thing.. today is five years since I've begun blogging. Who knew that sending a few words and photos out into the WWW could be so much fun? There are some incredibly wonderful people out there on the reading and viewing end of thing. I mean all of YOU, of course, and I thank you for a very enjoyable five years.

Queen Anne Has Washed Her Lace

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, has washed her lace
(She chose a summer's day)
And hung it in a grassy place
To whiten, if it may.
~ Mary Leslie Newton

Until the past few years, I had never taken much notice of Queen Anne's Lace.



It grows rather profusely around the fields and parks and what's to notice about a plain white flower whose roots smell like carrots, anyway?



Plenty.




It would seem that they're not such a plain white flower after all. My blogging buddy, Linda once wrote that each Queen Anne's Lace head has a tiny wine-coloured flower near the middle of its face. That was news to me. And it was also a reminder to look more closely next time. I learned that not all of them have that little dark flower but many of them did. Thank you for the eye-opener, Linda. This one is for you, my friend.






They don't only have that deep red flower in the center, either. As the Queen Anne's Lace head begins to open up, the tiny flowers on the fringe are this lovely, delicate shade of pink. That's another thing I'd never noticed before this June.







This one has only just begun its stretch to greet summer.






Others are in the pink of the season.






As the sun lowers in the sky, the lacy aspect of the flower is more evident than ever.







Suddenly there's a fair bit of activity on the head of most of these flowers. I'm not sure what this bug is but he was quite fascinated with Queen Anne.






I think we should call this one "Love in Bloom."






The setting sun as seen through the underside of the flower.






After getting up close and personal to Queen Anne's Lace with my camera, I've come to realize that it's not such a plain white flower after all. Wouldn't you agree?

More photos coming up soon.

Peas of Mind & Posts of the Week

I had some fun photographing peas and other vegetation one day, last month.


(With apologies to The Beatles) All we are saying, is give peas a chance.






(With apologies to Janis Joplin) Take it! Take another little peas of my heart now, baby!






(With apologies to Patti Page) You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Pod.






That's it for the pea puns. Orange you glad?






Pretty corny, I know. You get what you pay for. And right now you get a closeup macro view of a dried kernel of  corn as found in a bag of premium bird feed.



And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if if your blog post is named as a POTW.



 

FUNNY

I Feel Faint

by Fragrant Liar

at Fragrant Liar

IMPORTANT VIDEO

Hopi Prophecy
by Linda
at Ye Olde Crone's Gazette

 
FEEL GOOD VIDEO

Mud Bath

by CiCi

at Liquid Mind, Sanguine Soul

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Public Service Announcement

by Karen 
at Spokalulu

PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Magical Balloons

by Fiona

at Lady Fi

A Heron and a Seagull in Bruges, Belgium

by Indrani

at I Share

A GOOD READ

 
The Fact of a Doorframe

by DS

at Third-Storey Window

READERS' CHOICE

Recommended by: Lady Fi
Paradise of Buddha
by snowwhite
at One Time One Meeting

Recommended by: Di
I'm Your Captain
by Deborah
at Fashion Plate

Recommended by herself
Compressed
 by Mom of A and a
at BIG A, little a

Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.

Thank you.

We Are Nature

Nature rejuvenates so quickly, so completely. Though we often view ourselves otherwise, we are nature. ~Jeb Dickerson

As pretty as their faces are, I like the look of some flowers from behind. The simple daisy is one of them.






A feathery spring of.. something. It was swaying in the breeze and it's soft pink tones asked to be photographed. How could I deny it?







After a very heavy rainfall, the dam is a churning, swirling puddle of water.







A proud mother mallard with her sweet little ducklings.







Here's a larger group swimming close to the edge of the dam.







The next day, they were all at the bottom of the dam. That one little cutie was awfully curious about the people watching from above.







This cheery turquoise sun sits in my neighbour's front garden.






A clematis bud in Frank's back yard.







A pretty purple clover with bright yellow flowers in the background.






Sumac flowers. You have to get up really close to see that there are all these individual buds on the usual cone shaped bloom.







This Eastern Yellow Swallowtail has lost half of its left hindwing. It didn't seem to slow him down any.






The full moon of June.


More in a bit